What better way to spend a midweek than escaping the doom and gloom of London and jetting off to the beautiful, sunny island of Mallorca for a couple of days?

We went out with womenswear HUSH to showcase their new summer collection and were also joined by some other amazing bloggers, Liv Purvis, Lizzie Hadfield, Hannah Crosskey and Carlie Tasker. Now, for those that aren’t familiar with the brand, it is perfect for any summer getaway. Think relaxed, comfortable yet stylish. Perfect for beach cover-ups, bohemian linen shirts and flowy dinner dresses on a warm summers evening. We now have our holiday wardrobe sorted!

Our stay was spent in a beautiful boutique hotel , Hotel Cala Sant Vicenç  which is close to Pollenca on Mallorca’s North West Coast. With just 38 bedrooms, each room has a balcony with views across the village to the sea or over the lovely outdoor swimming pool and lush gardens towards the rugged mountain scenery. They recently re-opened in April and after a whole redesign and refurb, the new contemporary look is luxurious, combining the best of local tradition and culture.

Cala Sant Vicenc is a beautiful secluded resort village,  just a 45 minute drive north from the countries capital , ‘Palma’ , where the majority of the population reside. But at this time of year, there are few tourists and it’s pretty peaceful, making it perfect for us to explore the place at our own free will. The location of the hotel is stunning. A few minutes walk and you're surrounded by these lush little coves with the most beautiful turquoise and transparent water. I was shocked at how crystal clear the water was. Now,  in most cases, we’d be the first to jump in, but at the this time of year the water is still a bit chilly so we resorted in staying on land and topping up the tans. ( Slightly regretting this now, looking back at how inviting the water looks in these photos!)

Although we only stayed for a couple of days, we managed to squeeze enough in to give you a few recommendations and ‘Must- do’s’ if you ever plan to visit Cala San Vicenc or Pollenca. I’m going back a few more times this summer for weddings, and I literally can’t wait!

1. Take a trip to Pollenca - Pollenca is a 15 minute drive from Cala San Vicenc. It is an ancient town of attractive narrow streets and an impressive main square, lined with cafés, restaurants and bars. It has a rich history and beautiful churches and art galleries too, if you're interested in that kind of thing! We had a lovely, very well cultured tour guide, who showed us round the cute cobbled streets and talked to us about the history and culture of Pollenca.

 2. Go cycling - Cycling is huge in Cala San Vicenc, so much so that the hotel had it's own cycling concierge which was extremely handy! You also see more cyclists than you do cars and they all seem to be given right of way. Power to the cyclists, is all I say! So on Wednesday morning the hotel arranged a lovely guide who led us all the way to Puerto Pollensa. This was about a 25 minute cycle but it was so beautiful. Cycling with the sun on our faces, we passed such stunning scenery and rode past picturesque orange and olive groves. A part of the way is on the main road, but again, don’t be scared as cyclists are pretty much given right of way! I felt safe the whole time. If your cycling to Puerto Pollenca, make sure to go on a Wednesday as this is then the market is on which is well worth a visit.

3. Hit up the market in Puerto Pollenca - The market takes place every Wednesday in Puerto Pollenca and here you can find everything from fresh fruits, olives and produce to amazing local hand-made arts and crafts and jewellery. And if you don’t fancy shopping, go sit in a cute cafe by the water and sip on a freshly squeezed orange juice. It's that time of season too, so they taste divine!

4. Visit a vineyard and go wine tasting - If you’re anything like us, nothing beats a nice glass of rose in the sun and a glass of red wine with dinner. There are a few vineyards located around Pollenca, so when we got the chance to visit one (organised by the hotel) we were pretty chuffed! We tried a variety of different roses and some lovely mature red wines. An afternoon very well spent! 

5. Visit the Hotel Illa d'Or - This wellness and Spa hotel, located in Puerto Pollenca was founded in 1929 and is a stunning, white washed modern hotel with traditional touches. We were given a lovely tour of some of the rooms which have incredible views of the beach. The best part was dining at their outdoor restaurant located on the port over the water. If you like lots of courses and exquisite fine dining, then this is definitely a place for you! 

Shop The Look:

Shop our look:

Long White Dress | Reformation
Blue Hareem Trousers | Hush
White Wrap Top | Reformation
Straw Hat | Hush
Clutch Baskets | Bonitas Baskets
White mules | Vagabond Shoemakers
White Sandals | Birkenstock
Beach cover-up  | Hush
Jeans | New Look
Pink Top | Topshop
White Bohemian Shirt |  Hush
Navy blue culottes | Lindex
Patterned White Shirt | Hush
Black Sunnies | Reiss
Tortoise Sunnies | Reiss
Sunnies | Rayban
Oversized basket | Hush
Sleeveless white shirt | Hush
White Sunnies | Sunday Somewhere









 

I've always loved the idea of a quick escape out of London, especially when luxury tree houses, wild animals, countryside and beautiful spring weather are all involved. Last week, my boyfriend turned the very big 3-0 and what better way to spend it than escaping the hustle and bustle of London for a bit of luxury and fun? So Port Lympne, was without a doubt my first port of call. I went there last year on a press trip and absolutely loved it, so heading back there was a must.

For those that don't know or have never been, I suggest you do!  Port Lympne is a wild animal park based in Kent. Set over 600 acres, it is home to the UK’s most authentic safari experience, home to 100 acres full of African animals. Now, I know what some of you may be thinking.... It's basically a zoo, it's cruel for wild animals not to be kept in their natural habitats and trust me, I do not like the way animals are treated or the whole idea of zoos either. However, Port Lympne is owned by a conservation charity dedicated to protecting wildlife. They work alongside the Aspinall Foundation where they introduce animals back in to the wild. In fact, on our safari tour, all the amazing silverback gorillas we saw, were all shortly being sent back to the Congo. All the staff that work there have incredible knowledge and passion for the animals and you can tell  they are all treated really well.

The minute we arrived, we were sent out on our own private safari tour with our guide, Jake, he was brilliant and so enthusiastic.  The highlights of the safari, had to be feeding the giraffes and the endangered black rhinos, as well as seeing these beautiful Siberian tigers. It's home to so many beautiful, endangered and rare species and being at such close proximity is really something special.

As we finished our safari, we were taken to the clubhouse where we were presented with a couple of glasses of champagne and marshmallows to roast on the beautiful log fire. I mean, what a way to welcome your guests. Shortly after, we made our way to our accommodation for the night, the treehouses! I've always been a sucker for a treehouse and the feeling of sleeping outside in the wild. However, these are slightly more luxurious than your typical wooden treehouse. These are instead beautiful, small glass bungalows set high up in the trees, each with their own balcony overlooking the wildlife reserve. On a clear day, you can also see the coast, which isn't too far away, making for such breathtaking views.

We were also given access to buggies during our stay. So in the afternoon, we went round at our leisure, exploring more of the safari park and cruising round in the sun. In 2016 Port Lympne opened the Dinosaur Forest giving visitors the chance to step into a jurassic world with the largest collection of life-sized Dinosaurs in Europe which made for a quick and fun pitstop on our buggies. Port Lympne Reserve also incorporates a historic mansion and beautiful landscaped gardens which were designed during World War I, the grounds are stunning, so we were very much content just walking around them and exploring, which we did for a couple of hours in the afternoon.
Before sunset, we made our way back to the treehouse, cracked open a bottle of wine and chilled on the outdoor sofa, watching the amazing sunset, which I must admit, even for England was an impressive one. 

That evening, we were treated to a delicious dinner at the main hotel in this stunning room, intricately painted with wild animals, emanating the  landscape around us. Now, I'm always normally one for staying up and out of the house but with accommodation like we had, I was all up for getting the buggies straight back to our treehouses to relax there for the evening, which is exactly what we did.

The next morning was absolute bliss. We were provided with two hampers full of cereals, bread,  jams, you name it,  a real luxury DIY brekkie! Genius idea! Forget the bother of  having to wake up ridiculously early and trekking over to a communal breakfast room (not that I don't like that once in a while) but this was so much more relaxed.
With the choice in our hands, we made a full English breakfast and devoured it on our balcony, overlooking the rhinos and giraffes with the morning sun beaming on our faces. What a way to start the day.

We spent the early afternoon exploring more of the grounds and treating ourselves to some afternoon tea in the hotel until it was time to leave. What an absolutely great little escape from the City it had been. Beautiful weather, stunning views, wild animals, a breathtaking sunset, luxury accommodation.... and I'm pretty sure it scored a few girlfriend points too!

Thank you Port Lympne, I can't wait to come back!

Grey Jumper | ASOS

Jeans | New Look

Yellow Jumper | Topshop

Sunnies | Rayban

 

There are only so many people that get the opportunity to travel to such parts of the world, to experience such indescribable, picturesque beauty and who are granted the opportunity, if only for a moment, to completely escape and switch off from the uncalled stresses and problems of every day life. 

Myself, Jordan and my mum were lucky enough to jet off to the Maldives at the beginning of December, swapping the bitter London frost for the tropical sunshine. 

We flew in to Male, the capital of the Maldives, and from there, caught a thirty minute seaplane above the Indian ocean to the private island of Dhuni Kolhu, a tropical paradise tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the main island. The flight, which seated around ten people was without a doubt the most scenic and beautiful flight Jordan and I had ever experienced and as we approached the Island we would be residing on for a week, Coco Palm, I was mesmerised by the lush and tropical island below, fringed by white sandy beaches surrounded by a crystal clear emerald lagoon. Nothing short of stunning.

As we arrived on the island, we were greeted by a row of extremely friendly and smily looking staff all dressed in white and standing and waving in unison. It felt quite surreal and dream-like yet so exciting. As we took our first step on to the warm, white Maldivian sand, we knew we were in for one of the most luxurious weeks of our lives.

The majority of our stay was spent in the most beautiful sunset beach villa, luxed out with our own private beach. This was where we spent hours on end simply sunbathing, relaxing, reading and swimming in the beautiful Indian ocean. There was absolutely nothing more we wanted. Each day was around twenty nine / thirty degrees and we were surprised by the breeze which made lying in the sun for hours on end not just bearable but overwhelmingly pleasant. The Maldives is also without a doubt, one of the top spots to go diving, due to its transparent waters and abundance of beautiful, multicoloured tropical fish. The snorkels are free to rent on the island so we made sure to take them out a few times. Highly recommended! The colours of the fish are out of this world.

The island also comprises of around twelve lagoon (water) villas where we stayed one of the nights. Each one has their own amazing plunge pool and inside the villas are  a deluxe spa bath and shower overlooking the ocean along with a complete 'outdoor' atmosphere and total privacy. Waking up on one of these is truly surreal and if you're lucky enough to get one of the sunset water villas, watching the sunset is one of those once in life time moments, that takes your breath and allows you to think of nothing else but the true beauty nature has to offer.

Most evenings were spent walking five minutes up the beach to the sunset bar, where we’d sip on tropical sundowners and watch the breathtaking colours of the sunsets. The skies would illuminate pink and orange and the beach would turn a rose pink colour, tinting everything in sight with such beauty. Wow. 
Food is always a big part of holidays and Coco Palm , certainly did not disappoint on this front. The choice and option of food was overwhelmingly fantastic. Catering to vegetarians, vegans, gluten intolerance, you name it, the choice was there. The winner for me was the fact that everything is cooked fresh in front of you, from warm pancakes at breakfast smothered in nutella and chopped fruit, to fresh fish and sushi at dinner time.

I’m not sure a week was entirely long enough to stay in such paradise. We left, wanting more, craving more, unsure we were entirely ready to leave such a picturesque and relaxing hub of beauty. However, if there was one thing we were sure of, it's that we would definitely be returning. Be it in one year or three, there would be no holding us back from re living the breathtaking sights that these Indian ocean atolls have to offer. The end of our stay at Coco Palm was sad to say the least and we were given a very friendly send off by the all the staff who waved us off (in unison once again!) on to our seaplane. 

As we flew in to the air,  overlooking the blues, the greens and the most stunning lagoons and reefs we had ever seen, a rush of excitement began to overcome the sadness. Our next adventure was on it’s way. Mauritius here we come!